You will doubtless be aware that the commencement of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is looming. The GDPR will impact all churches, is unaffected by Brexit, and will come into force in the UK from 25 May 2018. In conjunction with Stone King, our longstanding Partner in Ministry, ACAT held half-day seminars in four different locations to give practical guidance on this new legislation, with particular relevance to churches and faith organisations.

We are extremely grateful that Vicki Bowles, Head of Knowledge Management, Charity & Social Enterprise Team, Stone King, led these seminars for us. Vicki’s background in regulation and charity law means that she brought a practical and sensitive approach, which proved particularly helpful to ACAT members. Vicki says: -

All churches keep data on the members of their congregation, donors and planned givers, Electoral Rolls, and similar information. This seminar will provide a General Introduction to the GDPR and the Data Protection Bill in a church context aimed at churches and faith organisations to help you prepare for the changes that will apply to your organisation from May 2018.

In this seminar we covered the legal framework and how the GDPR and the Data Protection Bill fit together. We dealt with the most relevant provisions of the GDPR with comments about the Bill and available guidance.

ACAT is the national charity for treasurers of churches and Christian charities, providing training, advice and information to members. You can find out more and join by visiting or ring 01246 767787.

GDPR consent issues (including a brief discussion of the legal basis for processing personal data), what the ‘legal basis for processing’ means, the legal basis which churches might use in different circumstances and what counts as adequate consent under the GDPR.

Practical guidance on handling Subject Access Requests and an outline of the changes that will be required for GDPR compliance.